Kidnapped
by Hail the Wolves
Summary: Naruto is kidnapped by Akatsuki on a mission. Now, Sakura and Kakashi must try to rescue him while he tries to escape. This must all be done before the last jinchuriki is captured. Otherwise, Naruto will lose his demon and...
1. Chapter 1

Summary: During a mission, Naruto gets kidnapped by Akatsuki. But, the nine-tails has to be sealed last being too powerful to seal without having sealed the previous ones. There are three remaining demons left. So the Konoha nin must rescue their friend before its too late. Will they be able to help their friend? Or will Naruto die at the hands of Akatsuki?

-(.),(.)- --this is Mr. Owl (with glasses, he wears them sometimes). He's an ongoing joke in my group of friends. Whenever the chapter breaks, starts, or ends, he'll be here to say hello. XD. Yes, I am insane and proud to admit it!

Chapter 1: Mission Briefing

"Naruto come on! We have to meet Tsunade-sama for the mission briefing!" A pink haired kunoichi stood outside of a small apartment. She placed her gloved hands on her hips, annoyed at her teammate's laziness. The two had an S-ranked with their old sensei Kakashi. It was five to twelve, and the duo was supposed to be there at twelve. And while that time slot wouldn't be a problem, any shorter would be cutting it close.

"Okay Naruto, if this door isn't opened in three seconds, it's going down. Three, two, one..." She pulled her fist back, and just as she was about to make contact with the wood, the door shot open, revealing a tall blond haired teenager. He was smiling, rubbing the back of his head. "Gomen, Sakura-chan. I was waking up when you came by..." While saying this, Sakura had grabbed the boy's wrist, dragging him to the edge of the building.

"Save it Naruto. We have to leave now if we don't want to be late!" Sakura hated being late to see the Godaime. While Naruto escaped most punishment because she seemed to favor him (even if the woman would never admit it to anyone's face), most didn't. Memories came back from when she was training under Tsunade and what happened when she was late. She shivered at the extra work (and pain) that was always required. Naruto stumbled after her, his wrist still in her grasp. Once the two of them were at the edge, they started to jump the rooftops of the building towards the Hokage Tower.

Obviously the most prominent building in the village, the tower was flat on top to allow ninja to line up with the Hokage giving out orders. An ornate sign with the kanji for "fire" adorned the front of the building. Staying with the theme of fire, the entire building was red.

Naruto and Sakura had now arrived on top of Hokage Tower, and ran down the stairs to arrive on time. Sakura was stressing out, Naruto had on his classic foxy grin, and as they arrived at the door to the Hokage's office, Shizune walked around the corner, smiling.

"Good job you two, you're just on time." Tonton the pig was walking beside her, with her classic red vest and pearl necklace (A/N: why does everyone forget Tonton? she is so awesome! I mean how many ninja pigs do you see?). Shizune was in her blue robe with a white undershirt and high heels. "You guys can go in; I think Kakashi-san is already in there."

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei arrived first? Something's up." Naruto, always the one to point out the obvious, was scowling. His arms crossed over his black and orange jacket, He still maintained that childish air about him, even though his outfit and physical appearance had changed. He now stood six foot, and even with her boots on, Sakura couldn't reach the top of his head. His blond hair had grown a little longer. His black pants ended a little before his black ninja shoes started. But still, no matter how much he had changed appearance, he still was that annoying hyper-active ninja everyone loved.

Shizune laughed a little. "Don't worry, Tsunade-sama told him that the meeting was an hour earlier, to make sure he was there on time. But hurry up, you two need to get in the mission briefing quick." The two ninja opened the door at these words, hoping to not have to face to wrath of the Hokage.

Inside the office, paperwork surrounded a small desk, which also had more paperwork stacked on you top of it. Behind the desk sat a woman in a green robe on top of a shirt underneath. Her blond hair was tied into to hanging ponytails in the back, and her green eyes were sharp and piercing from years of being a ninja. In front of the desk, a man with gravity defying hair in the classic Chuunin and above stood with a book in his hands. His Hidden Leaf hitai-ate was angled over his left eye, keeping it hidden from view.

"Yo," Kakashi replied to the sound of the four of them entering the room. He never looked up from the book.

"Ohayo Kakashi-sensei," Sakura greeted her former sensei. Even though they no longer operated on a student/sensei team, it was hard to drop the suffix.

"Yosh, Kakashi-sensei, how've you been?" The trio hadn't been on any missions recently together, mostly breaking off into pairs. The area had been pretty clam lately, and any missions that were even high ranking really only required two people. They were all ecstatic to be together again, although they might not all say it out loud.

"You three be quiet. Let's get this briefing done, so you three can get out of here." Tsunade was obviously stressed out, and from the looks of it, from the mission she was about to send this group on.

"Hai," was the reply from three out of the four ninja. The other stood quietly behind the desk with the Hokage and the pig.

"Now this mission is taking place in neutral territory, in the Wave Country. That's not what I'm worried about though. The daimyo of the country has said that there has been a lot of reports of men in black coats with red clouds on them."

"Akatsuki," Naruto growled. His fists were clenched, and anger was apparent on his face.

"Yes," Tsunade replied to his growl. "I have a feeling that they are starting to get a little more active because of Jiraiya's... passing." Naruto and she flinched. The other two merely had sad faces, for neither had gotten to know the man, but they were saddened by the loss of great shinobi. When Tsunade and Naruto had found out that the old hermit had died at the hands of the leader of Akatsuki, both had withdrawn from society for a few days.

"Now, this mission is simply a scouting mission, but it's an S-rank because of who you are scouting out. Now, do not engage in battle if possible. Just try to find out what Akatsuki is up to in the Wave, then report back. Stay out of sight. This mission should last about two weeks. I expect you back then, even if you hadn't found anything out. You'll leave tomorrow morning, first thing. Dismissed,"

"Hai," came from the two younger ninja, but as they were leaving, Kakashi said, "I'll see you two tomorrow. I have to ask Tsunade-sama something." The two shrugged and left.

Tsunade sighed. "You're wondering why I would choose your team to go on a mission to scout out Akatsuki."

"Yes, I was thinking about that," Kakashi said. "I mean, we both know what Akatsuki is after. If we even go near their territory and are found out about, Akatsuki is bound to find out and come after Naruto. Don't you think it would be wise to send out a different team?" Kakashi was seriously against this mission. But, the team couldn't refuse an S-rank directly under the order from the Hokage.

Tsunade sighed. She truly didn't want to have to send them out, but they were the only team that was able to do this mission. "I'm sorry Kakashi, but your team is the only one that has the strength to perform this mission correctly. Naruto and Sakura were both trained by a Sannin, Jiraiya and I. No one else has had that privilege. You yourself are one of the best Jounin, so I need someone strong to be with them. And last but not least, once Naruto found out about this mission, don't you think he would demand to go? And then Sakura would have to go to protect him. And then you would have to go to protect the two of them. Might as well take out the extra step."

Kakashi sighed, inwardly berating himself. The Hokage was right of course. His team was the only one with the strength to fight Akatsuki if a fight did occur. He just really wanted to keep his teammates out of danger.

-(.),(.)-

Naruto and Sakura were walking along the street, heading nowhere. The pair just walked along, enjoying each others company. Well, Naruto was just enjoying it. He loved spending time with Sakura, and even though he had a mission tomorrow that involved people that had been hunting for awhile now, he couldn't help but feel happy.

Sakura one the other hand was not feeling so great. She liked being with her teammate, but the fact that he was so damn calm unnerved her. She looked over at him, now having to look up at him a little, unlike all those years ago. His hands were behind his head, sapphire eyes behind closed eyelids, and his sunlit hair catching the small breeze. Still thinking about the mission, she was reminded of the mission to Suna when the three of them went to save Gaara from the clutches of Akatsuki.

FLASHBACK

_Elder Chiyo was talking to the team while they stood over the body of the fake Itachi, whose disguise had worn off when they were killed. After questioning Chiyo about how a bijuu could be removed from its host, the reply came._

"_When the bijuu, is extracted from the container, the container… dies."_

END OF FLASHBACK

Sakura shivered at the memory. Even though Naruto and herself were now much stronger than the two of them were before Naruto had left, Sakura stilled worried about her teammate. "Naruto…"

"Yeah, what is it Sakura-chan?" Naruto was curious to what could make her voice sound so…_frightened._ Sakura rarely showed fear anymore, and it was only in the strictest of situations.

"Don't you think that this mission is a little risky? I mean, you've faced Akatsuki before, and survived, but it's been a while before they last tried to attack any of the jinchurikis, according to Jiraiya's spy network. They might have recruited more powerful members by now," As Sakura's speech continued, she began to become more and more distressed. She had already lost one teammate, and she'd be damned before she lost another. Naruto looked at his teammate and long time crush. He wasn't going to let her worry, at least not about him.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan. I promise that I won't get hurt. It's just a scouting mission, right? What could possibly go wrong?" Naruto had his classic foxy grin on, with his hands behind his head. Running through Sakura's mind, the same word remained in one position. _Everything._ But she couldn't say that. He was too resilient, too absorbed in his goals.

Sakura decided the best way to handle him was to just put up a front that Naruto would accept. She smiled and scoffed. "I don't know. But knowing you, you'll fall in the lake and drown because you thought you saw a bowl of ramen at the bottom," Naruto pouted.

"Sakura-chan, you know I would never do that," Sakura laughed.

"Yeah, I know. So, should we go get ready? We have to leave tomorrow morning, and I want to get packed _before_ then," Naruto sighed at her comment. He was hoping to ask her on another date, but it looked like that wasn't happening. For some reason, even unbeknownst to our young ninja, he had a crush on the girl for as long as he could remember. He hoped that one maybe she would return the feeling.

So instead he just smiled and said, "Hehe, yeah. I need to pack up all my ramen!" Sakura hit him over the head for that.

"Baka! Only pack the necessities, okay?" Even though she hit him for these things, she enjoyed these strange little comments. It made the day more interesting.

"Hai, hai, Sakura-chan. I'll see you tomorrow morning then?" His voice sounded as though he wished that she would give a different reply then the one he was expecting.

"Yeah, I'll see you then Naruto," she left him in front of her house. Neither of them had realized where they were walking, and had automatically walked straight to her house. She was confused by the tone of his voice. Why did he sound so resigned? Was he finally giving up on asking her out? On the surface, Sakura was cheering, but underneath, she wasn't so sure. She liked having the blonde near her, and was comfortable when he was near. But to her, their relationship was a brother and sister kind of thing. She didn't want it growing past that. She was scared of growing close to him. She still had nightmares of Sasuke...

She arrived at her apartment. During her time training with Tsunade, she moved out of her parent's house and into her own place. It made it easier to not have her parents nagging her all the time. It was now about twelve thirty, and she had some time left to think about the mission. She packed everything then, so she wouldn't have to deal with it later. She headed out to the training ground number 7, and sat by the river running through there. A flood of memories came back…

_The survival exercise, Naruto coming out of the water saying he was better than all the rest…_

_Training with Tsunade, dodging balls shot at her with the monster strength she possessed…_

_Spending a night here all alone, with no teammate to be there with her…_

_Naruto back, and the two of them fighting against Kakashi, and winning, using Naruto's maverick mind…_

Sakura's eyes shot open. She had been sitting there for a few hours, longer than she had wanted. Right in front of her face, instead of the ice blue of the river, she saw warm, gentle blue with yellow hanging in front of them. She was so surprised by him being right in front of her, she fell back onto the ground.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" She picked herself up, trying to retain some dignity.

He stood up, once again rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. He was smiling again, that foxy grin. "Sorry, I went to your house to see if you wanted to go out for dinner before going to bed for the mission. But, you were already gone. I was looking all over for you before I thought to come out here."

Sakura smiled. Typical Naruto, he went looking for her just because he wanted to go out. "How about when we get back from the mission Naruto? Its getting late now, and we have to leave early. I promise okay?"

"Okay Sakura-chan! Definitely, when we get back!" Around them, the sun continued set. Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Um, Sakura-chan, can I walk you home? It's getting late…"

"Sure Naruto," Sakura replied, a small laugh under her answer. He was never subtle, and he would pretty much do anything to be around her.

The two of them walked the trail back to the village, talking about nothing and everything.

-(.),(.)- The next day

Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura were lined up at the gate, and Tsunade was sending them off. "Everyone ready?" Tsunade asked the three of them. Naruto, Sakura, and Tsunade had been waiting and hour for Kakashi. The three of them nodded. "Okay then, see you when you get back," The trio nodded, gave a goodbye, and left the village.

Tsunade sighed and turned back to the tower. As she walked, she looked to the sky.

_Please, come back._

Yes! First chapter done! Yeah, I know, kinda lame right now. But I it will get better. One review, and I'll post the next chapter. That's all I need!


	2. Chapter 2

Okay people, here is chapter two

Okay people, here is chapter two! I want to say thank you for all the people who favorited this and reviewed. I seriously was not expecting all those at all. Thanks again guys!

Disclaimer: forgot this in the last chapter (or did I…?). I don't own Naruto. That would be impossible, because than it would never have existed.

Chapter 2: The Mission begins

"Finally, a good mission! They've all been so boring recently…" The three Konoha ninja were jumping the trees, trying to cover as much ground as possible.

"Naruto, do you really think that's a good thing to say? I would rather have a D-rank mission than to have to follow those creeps," Sakura was jumping next to Kakashi, with Naruto a few paces ahead of them. The trio had just left Konoha a few minutes ago, but they had already covered a few miles. Kakashi had said that if they kept a hard pace, they might arrive at Wave by nightfall. Staying in the woods with Akatsuki roaming in the area was not a good idea.

Naruto scoffed at this. "Come on Sakura-chan, you know that we could take on anyone in that group. We're stronger than the last time we fought them. We're gonna beat them no problem!" Naruto was jumping the trees like a fox, and in the middle of his next jumped, he flipped in the air, as if proving his point. Sakura shook her head at this. She almost wished that he would hit his head, just so he would learn a lesson. His death was almost certainly going to be something stupid, like falling off a branch and forgetting to flip over. The only time he was focused was in battle, so there was no way he could get hurt there. No way at all.

After many hours of idle chitchat, jumping trees, and Sakura hitting Naruto on the head twice for some comments, they had arrived at the Great Naruto Bridge.

"Whoa…" the three of them stood at the entrance to the bridge. Sakura and Naruto stood with their mouths open, and it had been Kakashi who uttered the word. They knew that the bridge had been completed when they left, as they had been there for the finishing. They had no idea that the bridge would be named after _Naruto_.

"Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, did either of you know that this bridge was named after…" Sakura just couldn't seem to finish that sentence.

"That this bridge is named after Naruto?" Kakashi finished for her. Naruto was absolutely dumbfounded. Someone apparently respected him enough to name a bridge after him, was his first physical proof, besides the necklace hanging around his neck, that people were starting to see him. Not that goofy little kid he had started out as, but the full grown shinobi he was now. And he was thankful for that. Not that he would show it of course.

"Cool! I'm a bridge!" Naruto smiled his foxy grin with his teeth showing and laughed a little. Kakashi and Sakura sweat dropped at his antics. Behind them came a somewhat familiar voice. 

"Naruto-niisan!" Naruto was glomped from the back. He saw two small arms around his waist. He turned his head to see a familiar green hat. Inari, the little boy from his first "C"-rank mission, was hugging him. The boy was now about twelve years old, and had grown considerably (A/N: not really sure what his age was in the manga, so I'm guessing). He now had a little muscle on his arms, and he was a little above Naruto's waist. He still was wearing the green hat, but he was no longer wearing the overalls. He wore black khakis and a white T-shirt with flames licking the bottom. He wore ninja shoes like Naruto and Kakashi, and they were colored black. He carried his crossbow and arrows on his back, but it seemed it was more of habit of carrying than actual use. The boy stepped back, and allowed Naruto to turn back and look at him. Inari had a huge grin across his face, not at all unlike Naruto's. He had a more confident air about him, like no one would dare push him around.

Naruto went down on one knee and ruffled Inari's hair that was under his hat. "Hey, Inari. I haven't seen you since that mission a few years back!" Naruto laughed out loud.

"Inari, where are you?" A voice came from behind the group. An old man a piece of rope tied around his head and a bottle of sake in his hand were two of the first things noticed about him. He also wore glasses. Besides that, if you didn't know the man, you would have never noticed that he was the bridge builder from the mission. He now wore a well cut suit, and had lost a little bit of weight, and now had a lean body, and his air was calmer now that he didn't have to worry about a millionaire coming after him.

"Grandpa! Look who it is!" Inari pointed at the ninjas. The man looks at the group with wonder, which almost instantly became enlightenment.

"Hey! I was wondering when you were going to visit," He walked over to the three of them and shook Kakashi's hand.

Kakashi smiled underneath the mask. "It's good to see you again Tazuna. But sorry, we can't stay long. We're on a mission. We were just about to head to our motel," Tazuna waved his hand back and forth, rejecting his words.

"Nonsense, you can stay with us. The people who saved our country aren't staying at a motel. Follow me," The group looked at each other and shrugged, and followed the former client.

The five people walked through the village. The leaf nin were all impressed. The town had gone from a rat-hole to a pretty prestigious city in only a few years. Tall buildings had been raised, and stores were frequent. The entire economy all seemed to be thriving. There was no one on the streets, and every man, woman, and child seemed happy and well fed.

"This is all because of a bridge?" Naruto said looking around in wonder.

Inari saw his big "brothers" astonishment. He chuckled at that. "Yeah, once the bridge was finished, it was easier for the people to cross and trade than going over the water. People started bringing back money and supplies. And all of a sudden, everybody had a job, and that means that everyone has money. Then people started coming looking for jobs, and traders came to well, trade. So basically, everything is better now that Gato is gone," They stopped in front of a large house with a well-sized yard in the front. The house was about three stories tall, and was well decorated exterior. There were gardens placed symmetrically throughout the yard, filled with well kept flowers, local and foreign. Apparently, being the builder who built the bridge that saved the town had some perks.

The house itself was a shade lighter than sky blue, with white trimmed windows. The house had a porch that circled the entire house, with chairs at intervals of a few yards. Compared to the place they had lived in before, while it wasn't exactly rundown, this place was a _mansion._

Three ninjas followed Inari and Tazuna up the walkway and into the house. At the door, Naruto was tackled by a Burmese Mountain dog that looked oddly like a cat at the same time. While he was attempting to stop the dog from drowning him in saliva, another familiar person walked in.

"Poochie! Get off of him!" After one more lick, the dog then bounded over to his owner. A tall woman had walked into the room, her face annoyed at the dog that had just launched itself at the guest. Her brown hair angled away from her face and was cut to the shoulder. She still wore the same color and style was shirt and skirt, but they seemed to be made of a richer material. At the current moment, she wasn't wearing any shoes, so there was no hint to the change there.

"Mom! Look who we just found!" Inari pointed to the group behind them.

At first, Tsunami didn't recognize the group standing there, but after taking two steps closer, the mask, bright pink hair, and the sapphire eyes made everything click into place.

"Well what do you know? Sakura, Kakashi, Naruto, its good to see you again," She walked up to the group and when she said each of their names, she shook their hands.

"You as well Tsunami. Sorry to intrude, but your father insisted that we stay with you," Kakashi replied to the woman. And just like her father, she rejected the words with a wave of her hand.

"It's no problem at all. Come on in, you must be tired from your journey. Follow me, I'll show you to your rooms."

Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura all followed Tsunami up a flight of stairs onto the second story. While walking down the hallway, the newfound wealth was once again obvious. Plush carpeting lined the hallways, while artwork hung on the walls. Most of the work seemed to consist of ships and large buildings structures, staying true to the family's country and Tazuna's passion. Tsunami opened up a door for each of them, and told them that dinner would be in an hour. With that, she left the trio to put their stuff down and relax.

Each of them entered a respective room, and they all seemed to be uniform in décor, but were still nicely furnished.

Each room consisted of a bed, nightstand, and a dresser. The walls were a gentle beige color, and the floor was also carpeted. On one wall, a large window looked out onto the sea, no matter which way the side was facing. A door stood on the side of the room, which connected to a shared bathroom. Kakashi and Naruto shared one, while Sakura got her own. Sometimes it's beneficial to be the only girl.

Once Sakura and Naruto had put down their stuff, Kakashi called them into his room. The pair knocked and entered. Upon walking in, the two saw Kakashi without his vest on, lying back on his bed reading his favorite orange book.

"Well, it looks like we can start tomorrow you two," Kakashi turned a page in his book, not even looking up while he addressed Naruto and Sakura.

"Hai sensei," came from the two. Naruto was excited to start, still wanting revenge on some of the Akatsuki. Sakura was still nervous, but this was a mission, and as a shinobi of the Leaf, she was required to follow it through.

"Okay then. We'll wake up bright and earlier tomorrow morning to start gathering data. In the meantime, you two can go and relax or something. I'll see you at dinner," And with that, he dismissed his teammates to continue reading his Icha Icha.

"Ano, Sakura-chan, do you wanna come see the garden with me?" Naruto asked his teammate hoping to Kami that she would say yes.

"Sure Naruto, why not?" Sakura replied with a smile. Naruto now had a huge grin plastered across his face. He grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her to the backyard.

As the pair entered the yard, they stopped in awe. Apparently, someone in the family held a large attraction to botany. A stone path led down the center of the garden, and was lined with Sakura trees. Behind that, masses of flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors were clumped together in an artful array. Some of the parks in the Konoha, which existed in the middle of the forest, didn't even really compare to it. All in all, it was a peaceful place to be.

The duo sat down on one of the benches that also lined the path. The trees were in bloom, and blossoms clung to the branches. This made the area even more peaceful.

"This place is beautiful, now that someone decided to take care of it," Sakura whispered, amazed by the beauty of the flowers.

"Yeah…" Naruto also whispered, as if someone spoke above that level, the scenery would disappear. For the remaining hour, the two did not saying a word, but needing to say a word. They just enjoyed each others company.

Almost too soon, Tsunami called them in for dinner. The two rose and stretched, then walked into the house. The sun had started to set while everyone was basically relaxing, the sun was now almost below the horizon.

"Come on, Sakura-chan, its time to eat!" The blonde ninja was suddenly full of life with the prospect of food. He ran inside, while his pink haired partner grew annoyed at his behavior.

"Calm down damn it! How are you able to be so calm one second, and then so hyper the next?" She was annoyed that he had ruined such a perfect moment. It had been quiet and cal, in the garden, but when Tsunami had called them in for dinner, Naruto had jumped up, causing her to fall out of shock.

"You should know Sakura-chan! I'm Konoha's number one maverick ninja!" Naruto smiled his foxy grin and strutted over to the house. Sakura just shook her head and followed.

The two arrived in the dining room, which like the rest of the house, was well decorated. Artwork hung on the walls, and the chairs and table seemed t o be made of fine wood. Everything fit the décor and nothing seemed out of place. The six people sat around the table, loading up their plates that Tsunami had provided. Inari talked with his big brother, enraptured in his tales of over exaggerated missions. Sakura and Tsunami talked about, well, just about everything you can think of. Kakashi and Tazuna talked about the current building projects going on in the Wave. After many hours of discussion and laughing, Kakashi told his team it was time to head to bed, because they had to be up early to scout tomorrow morning. The two followed while grumbling, saying that there was no point, because Kakashi was just going to be late anyway.

The three parted ways and headed into their respective rooms. Naruto, not feeling tired at all, just stared out his window, watching waves crash down onto a nearby shore. He thought about the day. He had felt at peace the moment he felt Inari hug him. He enjoyed the feeling of a family. Sure, he enjoyed being with his team and his friends, but this was different. He sighed. In Konoha, when the team split ways after a mission, Sakura would usually go to her apartment, or her parent's house, or go find one of her friends. Kakashi, well, no one ever knew where Kakashi went. And Naruto, he wasn't sure where to go. Go home to an empty house? Or look for one of his friends? Yeah, Kakashi lived alone to from what he knew, but most of the time he could find a fellow Jounin to hang out with. Whenever Naruto tried to find someone, it seemed as if they always already had plans. Well, at least he had his missions. He sighed for the second time in the span of about five seconds.

At that moment, Naruto heard a knock on the door. He was curious who it could be, because he thought that Sakura and Kakashi were already asleep, and he knew Inari was sleeping, thanks to the fact that he had heard the shouting match between him and Tsunami about proper bed time and stuff like that.

"Come in, the doors open," he called from his window space, not bothering to rise.

"Naruto? You couldn't sleep either?" A familiar female voice came from the doorway, approaching the window where Naruto sat.

"Nope, not at all," Sakura pulled up a chair alongside Naruto's post. She had changed out of her ninja gear into some soft pink pajamas. Her eyes were distant, as if she was thinking deeply about something and not really seeing the scenery in front of her.

"Naruto, I still don't think this mission is something we should have followed through on. But, I know that nothing I say is going to change your mind. So, before we leave tomorrow, I just wanted to say… thanks," With that, she quickly got up and hurried out of the room, leaving Naruto to ponder her words.

At the same time as this, two figures moved through the small amount of woods in the Wave. They wore black coats with red clouds, signifying the group they belonged to. Akatsuki.

It was pitch black, so there features were indescribable. All that could be said was that one was taller and slightly more muscular than the other, indicating a male. The other, shorted and slimmer, seemed to be female. They were holding a deep conversation while they ran.

"Well, it seems as if they brought the Kyuubi container with them. That will save us some time in tracking him down," this came from the larger figure, and the deep voice again indicated a male.

"Yes, this will make capturing him a whole lot easier than trying to get him to leave his village. He himself may not know it, but the security around him is a tad too high for someone like us to sneak in and capture him," This reply came from the smaller one, and the higher voice again indicated a female.

"Well then, shall we get going? Leader wants us to get him as soon as possible. Even though we have some time, its best to get him sooner then later," The pair stopped running, as though deciding where to head next.

"Yes, but, we should wait until tomorrow, when they split up to search for us. It would be troublesome to have to deal with the copy cat," The woman spoke with an air that seemed to say that she was in charge. And by the man's reaction, it was true.

"Fine. Tomorrow then," With that, the pair headed towards the town, preparing to capture their prey.

Awesome! Chapter two is done peeps! I hope you all enjoyed this. The action is starting to begin! Okay, now let's try to get five reviews or favorites or stuff like that during this chapter. Don't worry though, I'll still update even if I don't get them. Just please read! Oh, and if I come up with ideas for new stories, I post them on my profile. If you think it's a good idea, when you leave a review, tell me! Or send me a private message about what you think. Anywho, see ya next time peeps!


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, here's chapter 3! And yes, there will be a fight scene in this chapter, and I hope it comes out good. This is probably one of my first fight scenes, unless you countt role-plays. So, tell me what you think!

Chapter 3: New yet old enemies

-(.),(.)-

"Okay you two, we'll fan out for this part. I'll go to the shore to look for clues, Naruto; I want you to go into the forest to do the same, and Sakura, I want you to go through town to ask people if they have seen or heard anything about people in black coats with red clouds. If you to find _anything-_" He took a small pause, did some quick handsigns, and summoned three of his nin dogs. "Tell one of them to find me, and follow them to report. One dog will go with each of us. So, you ready?"

It was about five o'clock in the morning, and the Konoha ninja were getting ready to officially start their mission. Tsunami, Inari, and Tazuna weren't up yet, but they needed to get to there places before the normal townspeople were out about. Yes, some fisherman and merchants were up to start the day, but they were few and not likely to notice a fast ninja hopping through the trees.

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto and Sakura were anxious to start. They both wanted to find Akatsuki and bring them down, for bringing pain to so many to experience such horrible pain. Naruto, more for the pain that the organization had caused the jinchuuriki of all the bijuu and because of the pain Itachi had caused Sasuke. Sakura was fighting for teammates, but the first one that came to mind was Naruto. And that scared her a little. Wasn't Sasuke the one to first enter her thoughts?

But there was no time for that now. They had a mission to start. Three ninja jumped away toward their respective areas, with a nin dog following after them. Kakashi to the shore, Sakura to the town, and Naruto to the forest. They all began on their various tasks.

-(.),(.)- Kakashi

The silver haired ninja was walking along the shore of the beach, looking for a camp or a boat in the ocean. He stayed away from the actual shoreline, hiding in piles of jagged rock that lined the beach. His nin dog was up ahead, sniffing for a trail. Lucky summon animals, being able to poof away whenever they needed to.

While Kakashi thought about the unfairness of the ninja and the summoning animal world, his dog barked. Apparently, something had been found. He quickly jumped over to the spot where his dog was. On the ground, a strange symbol rested. After a quick analysis, the Copy nin recognized the symbol.

"Not good," The silver ninja leapt away towards the woods.

-(.),(.)-Sakura

Quiet frankly, she was bored. She had gone from shop to shop, trying to find information on the group her team was searching for. Currently, she was sitting in a tea shop, her nin dog lying at her feet, taking a nap. She had a plate of dango in front of her, and she was contemplating her earlier thoughts.

Why had Naruto come into her mind before Sasuke? That had never really happened before. Maybe because the village was starting to receive less and less information about the former leaf nin, because now he was constantly on the move with Team Hebi. And Naruto was always there for her. Even when he was on his training trip, with the perverted Sannin, she knew that he was going to come back. He would never abandon her,

Her head met the wood of the table, causing the people to look at her. _Why_ did she have to think like this! The only one that Naruto and she could think about was Sasuke. They had to get Sasuke back, so she could show him that she loved him. …Right?

At that moment, the nin dog sleeping by her side raised her head and sniffed the air. He looked at her with eyes that said, _Follow me._ The look told it all. Apparently the dog smelled something or someone. She laid some money on the table to pair for her snack. She then ran after the dog who seemed to be heading towards the woods.

-(.),(.)- Naruto

Naruto was searching through the woods, seeing if he could find anything. He saw a small clearing that seemed familiar to him.

He jumped from his tree to the clearing, looking around at the trees. He ran his fingers along the wood of one. Multiple groove marks ran up the tree, as if a knife had cut it. Also, along one tree, footprints seemed to be imprinted in the tree, as though a foot had rammed itself into it. A small smile crossed his face of memory of their tree climbing. Back when they had still been team seven…

He snapped out of his reverie when he heard a twig snapped behind him. He raised his arms in defense and called out, "Who's there?"

"Ah hello, Naruto-kun. Good to see that we found you nice and fast. I thought we might actually need to search for you. Thank Kami your sensei was stupid enough to let you go alone. I really would not have to deal with him," From the trees, two figures dropped out of the trees, wearing black cloaks with red clouds adorning it. Naruto growled.

"Akatsuki!"

-(.),(.)-

Sakura was leaping through the trees when she saw a flash of silver. She yelled out, "Kakashi-sensei!"

The ninja stopped and looked over his shoulder to see his pink haired teammate right behind him.

"Sakura, how did you find me so fast? Ah, right I almost forgot about you," He kneeled down to the nin dogs by there feet. "You two should go. I'm expecting a fight, and you two aren't meant for that," The nodded in understanding and poofed away.

"Kakashi-sensei, did you find something? I just followed the dog…"

Kakashi nodded and replied, "Yeah, I found something, but I'll tell you later. We have to find Naruto before they do," He leapt away with Sakura close on his tail.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you think that the Akatsuki found Naruto?" Sakura was worried about her teammate. If they weren't there to help him, things could get bad fast.

-(.),(.)-

The two black cloaked figures just stood impassively in front of Naruto, while the whiskered ninja was tensed. He was scared, definitely scared, but that's not an emotion that Naruto Uzumaki shows. The thing that scared him the most was that he didn't know the two.

The taller man had silver like Kakashi, but more fluorescent. Also, the hair was the same style as Naruto's, only a little shorter. He didn't have the Akatsuki hat or ring. On his left side, a katana hung on the inside of the cloak. He was tall, about six feet. He was lean, but his arms showed definite muscles. He wore a bored expression like he thought he should be doing something else. A rock hitai-ate with a scratch through it was pinned to the left sleeve of the cloak.

The smaller female by his side wore a smile that would disarm most men, unless you were good at reading facial expressions. Underneath the look, bloodlust seemed evident. Her hair, which was the color of flax, was tied in a loose bun on her head. Her brown eyes shown, as though she was eager to fight the boy. She had no evident weapons, so most likely, she more of a ninjutsu user. Her scratched cloud hitai-ate was tied around her neck.

"Now, do we really need to do this Naruto-kun? It would be so much easier for us if you would just be a good jinchuuriki and came with us," The man spoke with disdain, obviously believing Naruto wasn't worth their time.

Naruto snorted at this. "Yeah, like I would listen to you. How about you two come quietly now so I don't have to waste my energy kicking your butts?" The pair smirked at him.

This time the woman spoke. "Naruto-kun, do you seriously think that you can take on both of you at the same time? You may have power, but not enough for both of us," Her voice sounded like she was trying to hypnotize him. It wasn't genjutsu, because Naruto didn't sense any differences in his chakra. It just seemed like she really was just trying to persuade him.

"Then this will be easy. Go ahead, underestimate me, it will just make my job that much easier," his hands formed the familiar cross sign. "Multi Shadow clone jutsu!" About a dozen Narutos surrounded the two. Some held kunai; others were in a defensive pose.

The smirk on the male only deepened. "Impressive, that you can create so many clones at once and still have so much chakra. And you haven't evened used the Kyuubi's chakra. Too bad you're gonna have to die. You would make a good edition to Akatsuki,"

"Like I would ever join your stupid organization anyway!" yelled the original Naruto. "It looks like you guys aren't going to come quietly and answer any questions. I guess I just have to beat it outta you!" Every Naruto charged at them.

The clearing was instantly filled with smoke. The original Naruto had luckily stayed a bit behind to learn the fighting style before attacking with his clones. The only thing he gathered was an intense sharp pain.

He looked at the male, who wasn't in a different position from when he first saw him. The only difference was that the hilt of the katana was showing.

_How was he able to draw and sheath his katana so fast without me even seeing it? _Narutothought_. Well, I guess I just have to avoid the sword. I should try attacking the girl to see what she's all about._

He created twelve more clones, and this time charged solely at the female of the group. Again, the clearing was filled with smoke.

This time, the male kept his sword unsheathed. The blade was onyx black, and it looked like it was made out of polished rock. The blade seemed to be the sharpest Naruto had ever seen.

"Will you stop making those annoying clones? I'm dulling my blade for nothing on them," The male seemed to remain bored with the current situation.

"This is going to be harder than I thought," Naruto braced himself to continue fighting.

-(.),(.)-

Kakashi and Sakura noticed the smoke from the clones coming up from a nearby clearing.

"He's over there," Kakashi called back to Sakura, who was a few paces behind him.

"I can tell that sensei," Sakura was tense. Her teammate was fighting two Akatsuki members alone, and he was their target. If they didn't get their soon, he could be lost to them.

He two stopped in the trees that entered the clearing. What they saw was Naruto bracing for action, a male Akatsuki with a katana drawn, and a female member just standing there smiling. The two jumped down in front of Naruto, holding their hands up in preparation for an attack.

Kakashi spoke first. "Who are you? We have seen most of the members of the Akatsuki, and we have never even heard mention of people who look like you,"

The female spoke this time. "I guess we never did introduce ourselves did we? How rude of us. My name is Kira Hitaki, former ninja of the Hidden Cloud Village. One of the newest recruits into Akatsuki," Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto were confused by this. Since when had Akatsuki been recruiting?

Now it was the man's term. "And I'm Hiro Natashi, former ninja of the Hidden Rock Village. Like Kira said, I'm also one of Akatsuki's newest members. Leader-sama said that if we capture Naruto-kun and bring him back alive, we will be given the highest rank in the Akatsuki. That's when we get the hat and the ring. So once we bring this jinchuuriki back, we will officially be part of the most powerful organization in the ninja world," His eyes glowed with pride for himself, as if he had already earned his title. "Oh yeah, where were we? Ah yes, capturing you," he looked at the two in front of him. "If you two don't want to die, I suggest you move. We only need Naruto-kun alive. Leader-sama said that we could kill anyone that got in our way," He was bored again apparently.

"Like we would let you have Naruto you jerk!" Sakura began gathering chakra in her hands. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She first looked at Kakashi, who also had a hand on his shoulder. "Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan… please let me fight them. Alone," His eyes were blazing with hidden fire; something had awakened behind his eyes.

"Naruto we can't let you do that. These guys are too dangerous…" Kakashi looked in his students eyes.

"Kakashi-sensei, please I need to fight them by myself. If things get too bad, then you can come in. But only when I say so. Please sensei, please," That last bit seemed more of a command than a request.

Kakashi sighed. There was no way around this. Naruto was just too stubborn to allow them to help him. At least he said that he would let them assist him if things got too tough for him. "Fine. But, if I think things are getting out of hand, then I'm helping, whether you like it or not," Naruto allowed this condition by nodding his head. He walked in between his comrades, eyes again ablaze.

Sakura looked at her sensei with disbelief. "Kakashi-sensei, how could you let him do that? He's going to get himself killed by doing this!"

Kakashi looked at his female student with a worried eye. "I know, and that's why I made him agree to me helping out. But do you really think that he would let us fight this battle? He has a grudge against this group, and for a good reason. He has to do some of it by himself, or he will never be able let go, even when the group is gone. He will think that he didn't do enough, didn't help enough, all because others were trying to save him. Remember his past Sakura; before team seven, he never really had others looking out for him. He was on his own. But now that he has friends to help him, he still isn't sure on what to do. He gives everything his all, even if it will kill him. It's his way of saying that he cares," Sakura looked at her sensei in disbelief. Every single word of that was true. But, she still didn't want her teammate and friend to fight alone. But she had no choice.

Naruto was preparing for the next attack. "So, you two think that people like me are things you can collect? Toys you can throw away once you're done?! Well, think again!" Every sentence, every phrase, every word, became accented as Naruto's anger grew. His whiskers became more defined, his eyes darkened to a blood red, and his pupils became slits. His chakra levels began to skyrocket, as the Kyuubi added his chakra to his own. "It's time to teach you otherwise. Shadow clone jutsu!" Over a hundred, is not a thousand, Narutos appeared. "You sure you still wanna fight me?" All the Narutos smirked, all of them with the bloody eyes. When the two didn't move, he just charged in, along with all of his clones.

This time Hiro and Kira tensed for the on coming attack, most likely because of the numbers. But the outcome was the same as the last time. All of the clones poofed away, but this time Hiro wasn't the only one in a different stance. Kira arms were in the position of sixty-four palms of gentle fist before the strike, but her legs were together and her eyes were closed.

"Dance one, The Dance of the Crane," Kira said with a smile. Hiro held his blade horizontally in front of him, and he was in a crouch, his eyes also closed. This time, he smiled.

"Dance two, Dance of the Serpent," he opened his eyes. "You see kid? We aren't like most Akatsuki pairs. Our moves work together to take out limitless enemies. We cover all sides. So no matter what you do, you can't beat us," His smile deepened, his voice became even more boastful than before. "So Naruto-kun, looks like since you aren't going to come quietly, we'll just have to make you," Hiro held his sword in front of him. "Dance three, Dance of the Tiger," Hiro charged straight at him, while Kira ran around the back of him. Naruto quickly made to shadow clones to help protect him. It was to no avail though. The sword went through one shadow clones and skidded along his side, cutting cloth and skin. A chop to the spine made contact, soften by only hitting the clone first.

Naruto gasped in pain. The cut on his side was deep, and it would take a few hours for the Kyuubi to heal it, if he was resting and wasn't using the chakra from him. His spine was killing him, but everything seemed to be moving well enough, so it seemed like the blow hadn't worked like it was supposed to.

"Damn… you…" Naruto gasped out. He knew that Kakashi and Sakura were going to jump in soon, so he needed to finish this fast. He had one move that he knew he could use, but it was dangerous, and it hurt like hell to use it. But, it seemed like the only way.

He created five more clones. Two jumped to the trees and ran off. Kira smiled at this. "Trying to go for help? Why would you do that? You have teammates behind you. Why don't you let them help?"

"Because, I would never let my comrades get hurt. That's part of my nindo, my ninja way," Naruto charged once again with his clones. But this time, he seemed to know more about the style the two used together. When Hiro would slash his sword, the Naruto would duck underneath the blade in time. When Kira tried to kick or punch, the Naruto facing her would avoid it. After a bit of dodging, the two clones landed a punch on both of them. One clone had gotten under Hiro's guard and had punched him in the gut. The other was able to block Kira's punch and hit her in the face. The pair each flew into a tree about ten feet apart. Hiro rose first, rubbing the back of his head.

"Dammit, how did you get under the guard?! The style is supposed to be impenetrable!" He was obviously angered by the fact that Naruto had found a way to get underneath. He looked up at Naruto's face, which was now smirking.

"Shadow clones are damn useful like that. Every time you destroy one, I learn what it learned. So if it discovered something about the way you swung your sword, or how she kicked, I learned it. So, now that this fight has been balanced a little, you wanna still fight?" Naruto expected the two to be somewhat hesitant, but the reaction he earned was the complete opposite.

Hiro started laughing. _Laughing_. At him. Why? He had just learned in his style, and was able to parry both of their blows now at the same time! How could he laugh?!

Then he looked over at Kira. She wasn't laughing like Hiro, but she was smirking. And it seemed like she was in complete control of everything had been going on. It was extremely unsettling, and Naruto was starting to get mad.

"Why are you laughing?! You shouldn't be laughing!" His eyes were blood red and his pupil were slits. His whiskers were more defined. His canines and nails lengthened and sharpened. He was angered at the fact that the two were basically mocking him. And he couldn't stand that.

Hiro stopped and looked at Naruto with humored eyes. "We are laughing, Naruto-kun, because you think that just because you learned a few of our moves, you are on par with us. How naïve you are. Do not fool yourself. We will bring you to the Akatsuki, and you will die," An evil grin rested on his lips. "And now we begin again. Dance Four, Dance of the Ram!"

Naruto didn't even see them come at him. First, his legs were swept out from underneath him, and then he was rammed in the chest with the hilt of Hiro's sword. _Damn, there fast…_ Naruto began to think. He felt more chakra starting to pour out of him. A tail formed behind him, and two ears were now present on top of his head.

"You two are dead now," Naruto leaped at the two of them, arms aimed at their chests. He reached out to scratch. But all of a sudden, neither of them was there. He looked around in confusion and let out a feral growl. He looked around, and saw the Akatsuki members standing behind his teammates. Hiro had his sword to Sakura's throat, and Kira held a kunai to Kakashi's. Both of them were shocked to say the least. Neither of them had sensed them at all, and now with a simple hand movement, they could be dead. "So Naruto-kun, are you ready to calm down and be a good boy? Or do you want your comrades to die?" Now Naruto knew what the Kyuubi's chakra did to anyone that touched it. So while battling a mass amount of killer rage, he calmed himself down to make the cloak disappear. His eyes still remained red, and whiskers thicker, along with his sharpened canines and nails.

"Don't think this doesn't mean I won't kill you two," Now, it was Naruto's turn to disappear. He reappeared behind them, with a kunai to each of their throats. "Make a move, and you die too. Now, your dreams won't really come true will it?" Now he was smirking.

Kira just sighed and shook her head. "Ah, Naruto-kun, how naïve you really are. You left yourself wide open by using both hands," All of a sudden, her leg whipped out and caught him in his midsection. He was sent flying through a string of trees, which fell over afterwards. Now usually, Naruto could take a blow like this. He would just get up again and continue to fight with a little damage. Apparently when he hit the last tree, he hit his neck, knocking him out. He slumped down at the base of the tree. Kira removed her kunai from Kakashi's neck and ran to Naruto. She threw him over his shoulder and walked to where Kakashi, Sakura, and Hiro were. While she was gone, Hiro had placed his own kunai to Kakashi's throat to keep him from fighting back. "Okay Hiro, I got him. We can go now," Hiro lowered his sword and kunai, disappeared and then reappeared next to Kira. "Well, that's finally over. This brat was a annoying. I can't believe he made us use the fourth dance. We haven't used that in a while," He sheathed his katana, and pulled his robe over it to hide it. Sakura and Kakashi turned around now enraged.

"Give us back Naruto you creeps!" Sakura yelled, gathering chakra into her hand. Kakashi lifted his headband, revealing his Sharingan. They fell into offensive stances, ready to fight for their comrade.

"And why would we do that? We need this guy. And you two can't do anything about it. But Leader-sama did tell us to tell you this if we succeed. We still have two more demons left before Naruto-kun here. With the other demons, it didn't matter what order they were extracted. But with the Kyuubi, he needs to be extracted last because of his mass amounts of chakra. So he told us to tell you that you have about two months until we extract the Kyuubi and Naruto-kun dies. He also said that there is no chance of you saving him. So don't even try. Now, I bid you good-bye for good. Oh, and Naruto says good-bye as well. You won't be seeing him again," Sakura and Kakashi charged at the pair enraged by the kunoichi's words. But before they could reach them, they disappeared from their sight. Sakura and Kakashi looked around frantically, fearing the worst.

"Where are you, you filthy pieces of shit? Come back and fight!" Kakashi yelled out. Sakura was silent. A single tear ran down her face. Kakashi wanted to cry too. Once again, he failed to protect the blonde ninja. Then Sakura collapsed and screamed.

"NARUTO!!"

(.),(.)

Okay, chapter three is finally done. I'm kind of proud of this chapter. I had a bit of writers block while I was writing this though. And that's why I had a late update. I'm really sorry! bows and prays to the gods of fanfiction for forgiveness. Okay now that that's over, I just have to say that I might not be able to update at all for a while. I think I might have gotten myself grounded but I have to wait until my dad gets back from his trip to find out. Until next time, Hail the Wolves is out!


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, chapter four is here

Okay, chapter four is here!! Thank you to all of you who review. But I have a question for those who don't review. Why not? If you like it enough to favorite it and put it on the alert list, then why not say something. For those of you who are also writers, you know what I'm saying. And to those who don't write and are only here to read, please realize that a writer's favorite thing is when they get commented on there writing, even if the review is bad. It gives them something to work forward to. So, yeah I'm done. So enjoy the fourth chapter of Kidnapped!

Chapter four: What can we do?

It was dark. That was the only word that could describe where he was. Dark and cold. Then he realized that it was dark because his eyes were closed. He then realized that pain was present. Nothing that he hadn't faced before, but pain enough to hurt. He now was aware of metal and stone. Different textures became present as he regained his senses. He opened his eyes.

The first thing that Naruto noticed was steel bars across from him. Then, he noticed that he was in a roughly carved out cell that was embedded in rock. No light entered the cell except for a flicker of flame from a candle resting in a bracket on the wall. The flame threw eerie shadows onto the walls, and since Naruto was in the back of the cell, no light reached him. He then noticed that he was on his side. He attempted to sit up and achieve a more comfortable position, but to no avail. That's when he realized his ankles and wrists were chained together with inch thick iron cuffs, which had strange symbols etched into the metal. Chains attached to the wall, keeping him from moving. He also noticed that all of his weapons were gone. Everything that could possibly be used for escape or attack had disappeared. Even the file he kept in his shoe had been taken away. He also had a strange sensation throughout his body, as if something was missing. He imagined it to be hunger, so he left it alone for now.

Two other things were missing from his person. The first was the most noticeable. His Konoha hitai-ate was gone. The other, which you wouldn't notice was gone unless he removed his jacket, was his priceless necklace that Tsunade had given to him when he had won their bet. Naruto wasn't sure what distressed him more. The headband that he worked so hard for or the necklace that stated that someone believed he could become Hokage.

Footsteps broke Naruto study of the cell. A person, hidden by the shadows of the room, stopped in front of the bars of his cage.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, finally up eh? About time. Leader-sama was wondering if maybe you had broken your neck or something," The voice dripped with sarcasm, and by the deepness it was male, and oh so familiar.

"Hiro," Naruto growled out. He was mad. He was now in the possession of Akatsuki, without his teammates. Were they okay? He wanted answers, and he wanted them _now._ "Where am I teme? Where is my team? They better not be in any danger, or you are definitely dead," He added another growl for accent. But the man outside the cage just laughed.

"Ah, how naïve you are Naruto-kun. The second that you were not out, your team practically begged us to take you. Did you seriously think they would care about you? A demon? Someone that is the scum of society? Believe me Naruto-kun, they don't care, they never did. Half of your village, is probably sighing with relief, the burden has left them. All of your so called friends are happy that they don't have to deal with the dobe and loser anymore. Face it Naruto-kun, they don't want you," The candle on the outside flickered, casting a shadow on Hiro's face. A triumphant smirk rested on his lips. "Well Naruto-kun, I'll leave you to ponder a little bit," True to his word, Hiro left Naruto's view, and he heard a door slam, prompting that the man had left the dungeon area.

On the surface, Naruto just had a blank stare. But inside, Naruto's mind was raging. The villagers had finally accepted him right? His friends no longer thought that he was dead last right? And Kakashi and Sakura, they cared about him right? Just like he would do for them, they would risk everything to save him right?

Naruto wasn't sure how to answer these questions though. The seed of doubt had been planted in his mind, and it was a hard weed to exterminate. After spending so much time vying for attention, hoping to be noticed, was it true what Hiro had said? Was it true that he had no one?

_No! That's not true! I have Iruka-sensei, Baa-chan, Ero-Sennin, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, and everyone else back in Konoha! At least… I think I do._

Naruto spent hours pondering this. Most of the time, he probably would have given the thought up and realized it wasn't true, or convince himself it wasn't true, but when you are trapped in the cell with no end in sight, what else are you to do but think about this kind of stuff?

After a while, Naruto started to feel his eyes droop again. He tried to stay alert, to keep himself from thinking dark thoughts. But sleep is the only entity besides death that all must adhere to, and Naruto eventually fell into a deep slumber.

-(.),(.)-

While Naruto had been pondering the things Hiro had presented him with, Hiro himself walked into a room with a looming figure seated on a high up chair looked down on him.

"Well?" The voice was cold, dark, blood-thirsty, and… sane. Like the man completely knew what he was doing, that he was destroying people's lives to gain ultimate power. He just didn't care at all.

Hiro bowed to the imposing figure. "Leader-sama, I think it is working. The Nine-tailed fox jinchuuriki is thinking about what I said. If we continue feeding him that and don't let any news leak through about Konoha, his mind should be broken by the time we collect the other jinchuuriki. He shouldn't put up a fight once the next step commences," He looked up at the figure to try and guess an emotion. Unfortunately for him, figure's face was so hidden in shadows that nothing could be said of it.

"Alright," the figure started to reply to Hiro's statement, "continue to break his mind. If there is no struggling during the extraction of the Kyuubi's chakra, things will be much easier. You are dismissed," Hiro nodded his head in a deeper bow and walked out of the room.

Once Hiro had left, the figure rose from his post and walked over to the tall window on the wall. Outside, a constant rain fell. The sun behind the clouds shown through a slight bit, throwing relief on the figure's face.

Spiky hair and several piercings now could be viewed. A cold, merciless face graced the man's features. No emotion seemed to show through; even his eyes were just bottomless pits of nothing.

"Only two more, and then you Naruto-kun, and it will all be over. We will finally rule the world. It will be all ours," He closed his eyes and lifted his head slightly, to listen to the rain that held a steady rhythm against the glass pane.

-(.),(.)-

Naruto was at this moment, dreaming in his cell. No, dreaming is the wrong word. Having a nightmare is more like it.

He was remembering the past. From before he had Team Seven, before he had Iruka-sensei. Everything was dark; everything was cruel and harsh to the poor child living on his own. Inside Naruto's mind, incidents from his past kept playing unbroken and without a good moment.

_Naruto was five, playing in the park by himself. He stared silently at the other kids playing just a few feet away, hoping for an invitation to play. But the children to even say hi to the boy their age. The phrase monkey see, monkey do applies well in this situation. The children saw that their parents hated Naruto, so they repeated the action. They ignored the poor boy, leaving him to somehow entertain himself._

_Now he was six, but the same things were pretty much happening. It was nighttime now, and Naruto sat on the curb, dejected and alone. The few friends he had made had left hours ago, escorted away by a father or mother, calling out that it was dinner time or that they had homework to do. When the last one had disappeared, Naruto wasn't sure what to do. Go home to an empty apartment, where no one was waiting to give him a hug, or to ask why he was late? So he did the only thing a six year old could do. He ran, even if it was just to his house. H couldn't call it home. His heart just wasn't there._

_That same year, Naruto fell and hurt his knee in the park. It wasn't healing instantly either, because it was deeper than normal. So he stood there crying, no one to ask if he was alright, to give him a kiss and a band-aid. Adults with their children stood around Naruto, looks of disgust and disdain on their faces. The kids were all hidden behinds the parent's legs. Some looked around to see why they were standing there, and then wondered why kaa-san or tou-san wasn't helping out the boy standing there, crying. But the parents were always right, so when they were pulled away from Naruto, another seed was planted in their minds that Naruto was someone you couldn't be around._

_Now, it was Naruto's seventh birthday. He had heard about other children's birthday, from when Kiba or Shikamaru or Chouji would tell him. They would have a party where everyone came over, and they would play games and eat cake and open presents. Naruto was never invited of course, because even though the parent's of the before spoken children were kind enough, no one else wanted their child around Naruto. So when his friends would ask if he could come, the parents lied and said that there were already too many people coming. But now it was Naruto's turn, but no one could throw him a party, and he didn't tell his friends because he knew they would forget. Even though they called him a friend, they tended to forget about him a lot. So he sat there, curled up in a ball to hold in the pain, listening to people pass on the street and shouting out welcomes to each other. He hummed "Happy Birthday" to himself, hoping for someone to remember him and take him to a place he could call home._

_Finally, the day to enter the ninja academy had arrived. The Sandaime Hokage, or oji-san in Naruto's eyes, had said that he would take care of the enrolling, and all he needed to do was show up on the first day. So he had, and was probably more excited then the rest of his class. Finally a way to prove himself, to make everyone notice him and if possible, accept him. But that didn't seem to be so. When he sat down in the back of the class-because no other seats were available- he realized that this was going to harder than he thought. The teacher, the one before Iruka-sensei, rambled on and on about making sure to study and get your homework done. He then commented that tonight's homework would be to ask their parents questions about their careers, preferably a ninja parent. Naruto deflated at that. Who was he going to ask? He could ask Oji-san, but he was too busy to help him. So after class, he went up to the teacher and told him he couldn't do the assignment. When he talked to the teacher, all he got was an icy stare and a reply saying, "So? Its up to you get the assignment done. If you don't you fail the assignment. It's not my problem if you fail gaki," Naruto looked up at the man in disbelief. This was someone who seriously wished he wasn't living at all, and also someone who was willing to show it. Even though he had been ignored before, now he was actually being shown the resentment he faced. It broke him inside, seeing yet another adult not help him like all the other children. Naruto ran out crying, the Chuunin sensei with a huge grin on his face._

Outside of Naruto's dreamscape, his physical self was trying to thrash about, only restrained by the metal chains holding him. His eyes spilled tears, as memories he thought he had buried a long time ago resurfaced, and brought back the pain tenfold. More memories continued to stream out, now jumping around from different ages, but maintaining the base of suffering. He wanted it to end, he wanted it to stop. But it wouldn't, the images of pain didn't stop. So he just lie there, dreaming of his life from years ago.

(.),(.)

Okay, I know you all want to kill me right now for not getting this chapter out sooner, and then you want to resurrect me and kill me again for not making this longer. But I have been having such a major writers block on this chapter, plus my friends are forcing me to write a fic for them. You know I love you guys (Have to say it, they read this one too…XD). But I know what's going on next chapter. Next time, we see what happened to Sakura and Kakashi. Until next time, Hail the Wolves is out!


	5. Chapter 5

Kakashi and Sakura jumped from branch to branch in tense silence

Kakashi and Sakura jumped from branch to branch in tense silence. Neither had anything to say, or wanted to say anything. It was just silence.

They had been traveling for two days straight now, taking the trees to arrive all the faster at Konoha. They knew for a fact that even if they tried to follow the pair that had kidnapped Naruto, they would be no help to him except adding more pain. The two had decided that the best route was to proceed to Konoha, and request a back-up team to aid them in Naruto's rescue. They also decided that if it took too long to get a team ready, or a team wasn't allowed, and then damn the rules, they were leaving to save their comrade.

Both of them, though they would never say it out loud, knew that they had not very useful during the fight, excepting getting in Naruto's way when he had tried to kill them. Kakashi felt even worse, especially since he had had a clue as to what the Akatsuki pair had been up to. He should have spent more time looking at the symbol made of symbols on the ground.

Sakura tried to make the jump to the next tree, landing on the rounded edge of the branch. The heel of her boot slipped down, and she began to plummet towards the ground. Thankfully, a much flatter branch was a few yards underneath. So with some adjustments to her flight patterns, she was able to land softly enough on the branch. But, being tired from traveling and stress, her legs refused to support her anymore they crumpled beneath her, forcing her to rest against the trunk of the tree.

Kakashi leapt down to see if she had hurt herself in anyway from the fall. When he reached her, he noticed that her eyes were closed and her breathing had turned steady. She had fallen asleep after the fall. Kakashi sighed at this. They really should get going, but he felt himself being pulled into the land of unconsciousness as well. He decided that the best action to take was to get down to the ground and set up a small camp for a few hours to gain a little rest.

He shook Sakura awake, thinking that it would be better for her to bring herself, lest he lose his grip in his state and let her plummet to the ground to her death. She awoke slowly, and knowing what he meant automatically, rose to her feet without heart, and jumped down to the ground. After two days, not one word had been spoken between them.

They landed in the small clearing that was in between the trees. Kakashi went to look for fire wood; Sakura began to set up two bedrolls. She thought about how they hadn't spoken to each other. Then she realized they didn't need to. There was nothing to say. They had failed him once again, hurting him physically and emotionally.

How did she know that Naruto's wellbeing on an emotional level was hurt? Because she had let him down, not helping in the fight at all. Sure, he had told her to stand down, to allow him to continue the fight. But she could have at least yelled at him to give him the courage that he always supplied her with. Now he was gone, and she Sakura didn't know if she would ever see Naruto again.

-(.),(.)- KAKASHI

Kakashi walked around the wood, looking for small twigs and sticks to use for kindling. Sure, he could start a fire with a Katon jutsu very easily, but the fir would never stay alight without some smaller things to cling to first.

To someone looking at Kakashi, they would think that he was just a man, strolling through the woods calmly looking for wood. But that's where his training as a ninja comes in. A shinobi never shows his emotions.

Inside his mind, he was in turmoil again. AGAIN, he had failed Naruto. He should have ignored what Naruto said, and jumped into that battle. He was his superior after all. He couldn't stop him. But he had wanted Naruto to beat them by himself, as he had done before with so many enemies. But someone was always there to offer him support in one way or another. He had just stood there, and had become a liability to Naruto in the middle of his fight. Why had he been so damn weak?! His mind flipped over the matter multiple times, and her still couldn't find an answer.

-(.),(.)-

Kakashi arrived back at the campsite, arms full of sticks of all sizes. He looked up to see Sakura, with her head tilted upward, gazing at the open heavens above them. He placed the firewood down and sat beside her, and copied her action. The night sky seemed to taunt them; showing off its precious stars that shown like gems. The color was deep blue and calming, usually making a person feel secure with where they were or who they were with. But not Kakashi and Sakura. No, they couldn't even really see the sky. Their eyes were clouded with their thoughts, with their failure. They looked back at each other, than at the bed rolls, then the pile of wood Kakashi had brought, then back to each other again. They sighed, and then stood up. There was no time for rest. They had to get home.

-(.),(.)-

Two Chuunin guards were currently sitting at the main gate of Konoha, bored out of their minds. It was a very slow day, and they really wished that they had a different mission. Then they heard the padding of running feet, getting closer and closer to the entrance of the village. Suddenly, they see the entrance of two people, one with short pink hair and the other with gravity defying silver hair. The two looked at each other and then back down at the book where they were supposed to keep track of those that left and entered the village. They both knew who had just entered the village, as no one looked like those two. So, in the log book they recorded:

_Haruno Sakura return at 12 noon_

_Hatake Kakashi return at 12 noon_

After one of the Chuunin had finished recording what they saw, he realized something. "Where's Naruto?" The other guard looked at him quizzically, and then his expression changed to fear.

"Hokage-sama is gonna be pissed."

-(.),(.)-

Kakashi and Sakura stood in front of their female Hokage. Both were completely worn out from their journey home. Their clothes had minor rips and tears from jumping at high speeds in the tall branches of the surrounding area. Bags resided underneath both of their eyes, showing little or no sleep. Their faces were set in impassive lines, belying the emotions stewing underneath.

"And that's what happened Hokage-sama," Kakashi voice was deadpanning, trying to listen to his training of old to keep his emotions in check.

Tsunade sat at her desk, her head down and her fingers laced together. A strong aura raged from her being, silent but deadly. Her son, the one she had given her priceless necklace to, the one she truly believed would be the next Hokage, had been kidnapped by his worst enemy, the Akatsuki. While he was a mission with his team. A team that had been through so much together, and knew his biggest secret. But they let him be taken away, by people that will definitely kill him, no questions asked.

"Very well, Kakashi, Sakura. You two may go home and rest. We will discuss this later. You are dismissed," Kakashi and Sakura turned to leave the office. Kakashi exited the office, but Sakura clutched the handle with her back facing the room. Her head turned slightly to Tsunade, a look of sadness on her face.

"I'm…..sorry, Tsunade-shishou, and…." Sakura's voice trailed off, not knowing what to say to her mentor. That she should have done better? That she would do better next time? Would there even be a next time?

Sakura just closed the door, not being able to finish her statement. Sakura ran, back to the only place where she could find comfort.

She ran, her form shaking while she tried to keep her emotions suppressed. Damn the Shinobi rule number 25. A ninja never shows there tears. Why, why, why?! The sky began to turn grey, and the weather turned for the worse. Large clouds pregnant with rain covered the skies, obscuring the sun completely. Sakura continued to run through the streets, her face getting wet from the rain. Yeah, of course it was rain. Of course it was.

Sakura's feet carried her, her mind not concentrating on where she was going at all. The only thing she was thinking was of going somewhere safe, where she felt secure.

She didn't feel herself going uphill, or the harsher wind speed and the rain coming down harder. The only thing she saw was the village, the vast land stretching almost to the horizon. This was Naruto's spot. The top of the Hokage Mountain, on top of the Yondaime's head. More rain ran down her face, right below her eyes. Yeah, rain.

She sat down, pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. No one was here now. Now she could cry.

-(.),(.)- Kakashi

A book in front of his face, Kakashi let his feet guide him. He amazingly managed to avoid everything in his path, not disturbing a person or a thing. But, maybe it was because he wasn't actually reading this time. His mind was too cluttered to think of anything else. Why did he always fail to protect his comrades? Was it punishment for not realizing sooner that your fellows are more important than orders?

He decided to let his feet carry him, not paying attention to where he was going. He only wanted to go somewhere he could think, somewhere quiet. He noticed the clouds rolling in, the rain coming down. He put the book in his kunai pack, to prevent it from getting wet. He walked faster, noticing that some of the raindrops tasted a little salty. Yeah, rain.

His one eye see he was heading uphill, but his mind didn't truly register that. He only noticed that the rain was coming down harder, and the wind was picking up. Also, two tracks of rain on his face were coming down faster than the rest. That was strange. Yeah, strange.

He then realized where he was. On top of Hokage Mountain, right over the Yondaime, his sensei. He saw that someone had beaten him there. He figure had pink hair, a very distinct feature. He walked up besides her, wind whipping at his hair. Now that it was only the two of them, he could finally let the tears flow. Yeah, finally.

No, words were spoken between them. Again, they had been together too long as a team to not be able to understand each other without words. They stood and sat there for hours, unmoving and unchanging.

Eventually, Sakura had gotten up, her legs cramped from sitting in the same position for hours. She quickly glanced at Kakashi, who looked at her at the same time. Without any other motion, the two separated. One went one way; the other took a different route. They needed to be alone right now. Like they had left Naruto alone.

-(.),(.)-

Tsunade was sitting in her chair, the back facing the desk and the rest of the office. She looked out at the window, at the village she was sworn t protect. All because of that stupid brat. Who wasn't even here now.

She sighed. Even sake wasn't going to fix this. Or gambling for that matter. She needed to blow off some steam. She got up from her chair, and decided to head to one of Konoha's many training grounds and beat up some training dummies.

-(.),(.)-

Bangs and bashes could be heard within the mile of training ground seven, where Tsunade had decided to station herself. Three wooden logs that had once been present were now lying in ruins. They never had a chance.

Tsunade sensed a presence behind her, a familiar one at that. She didn't tense up; there was no need to.

"Sakura, what are you doing here? You should be resting at home," Tsunade turned to her student, who was soaked to the bone from the storm that had just past. Her eyes were slightly puffy, and her arms were wrapped around herself, as though she was trying to keep something in.

"I know shishou, but I couldn't get to sleep. I don't think Kakashi-sensei could either."

Tsunade sighed. She should have guessed that neither of them would be sleeping. What teammate could?

"Come here Sakura," Tsunade sat down on the ground, and patted the empty spot next to her. Sakura approached her and sat down. She once again pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"Sakura, what's wrong? I know you should be sad, but not this sad. Did something happen between you and Naruto before you… came back?" She didn't want to refer to what had happened to Naruto directly. That would just make things worse.

"Well… before we started scouting, I said to Naruto thank you. I meant to tell him that night, but I never got a chance because of… you know. But that's not it shishou. I've been thinking, thinking about everything. And I think-" she swallowed and finished her statement.

"I think I love Naruto."

(.),(.)

So, that's the end of this chapter. Sorry for the wait guys. I had huge writers block. Not to mention, I posted the first chapter to the story I told you all about, and it didn't get the response I had hoped for. Not at all. I mean, I think that any of you would be a little sad of your story only got 24 views. Not REviews, VIEWS. That's just sad. So yeah, I actually know what I'm doing now, so the next chapter shouldn't take too long. Again, sorry for the wait! Hail the Wolves is outta here!


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, I am FINALLY getting this chapter out. I had to think about this chapter a bit, and how far it should lead into the next part of the story. So, sorry about the HUGE delay. Puts forehead to floor. Sumimasen! But, here is the chapter FINALLY.

Chapter 6: The New Mission

Tsunade sighed, leaning back deeply into her "boss" chair behind her great wooden desk. She was trying to keep her hand away from the wood. She didn't want to have to replace it again.

This "kidnapping" by Akatsuki was putting a lot more stress on her shoulders than usual. The council members were not told, for Tsunade knew she would get twice as much crap from them than from any of the ninja.

It surprised her that they didn't even figure it out yet. Naruto was the cause of some much noise and chaos in the village that it was very hard to not tell when the boy wasn't around. The two completely bought that Naruto had stayed behind to gather some extra information. The villagers were ignoring the fact that he was gone. It was no skin off their backs that one of the village's best ninja was missing, just because of who he is.

It was a different story for his friends. The now Rookie Seven, after Sasuke's defection and now Naruto's kidnapping, and become almost completely unresponsive to each other. I few of them could be seen sitting on top of the Fourth Hokage's head, others were now frequent customers at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. Besides the adults who knew the reason for their sudden depression, many were thrilled at the turn around. That generation had too much feeling, they had said. They needed to learn how to sober up and not let emotion get in the way.

Kakashi and Sakura though, were an entirely different story. While the others would talk to each other, they spoke to no one, and barely to each other. She had seen their eyes after their first night. They were dead, no emotion shined through the glassy stare. They were constantly training, attempting to get stronger. It had been a week since they had come back home. Bangs and clashes were heard around Training Ground Seven all day, and most of the time all night. She didn't know when they slept; they probably collapsed on the field, woke up, and started sparring all over again.

She sighed. It was time to start this mission. They needed out. They needed to find _him._

-(.),(.)-

Currently at Training Ground Seven, Sakura and Kakashi were battling to death once more it seemed like. Neither moved with their usual grace and precision. They were lethargic, moving slow. But they still seemed to be engaged in a deadly yet beautiful dance.

She threw a chakra loaded punch at him; he ducked and attempted to sweep her legs out from under her. Sakura backflipped, and landed in a defensive pose about ten feet away. Kakashi sprung like a jungle cat towards her, one that had been on the hunt all day and was exhausted from trying. He came forward with the usual intent; to kill. Staying low to the ground, he drew a 

kunai knife from his pouch. Sakura repeated his action, drawing her own. The elongated pieces of metal met in a clash of molten colored sparks.

Sakura attempted to keep him at ground level; he was far more vulnerable their then if he was upright. But she was weak, from healing them both after each fight and then fighting again right after. Her arms began to tremble, and Kakashi was able to push himself up. He began to push her back, until they were at the edge of the clearing they were fighting in. Sakura was backed against a tree, her arms pushed against her side, just keeping the two kunais away from her face the best she could. But she wasn't going down without one more fight. She closed her eyes, and thought of the face she was fighting for. She felt a surge of adrenaline, and was able to push Kakashi back. His eye opened slightly more in surprise, but kept pushing his knife even more. She was able to push him to the middle of their makeshift arena. But Kakashi was smarter. Using the momentum she was producing, he twirled around her, and she stumbled. He stuck his leg out, tripping her. Her usually impeccable balance abandoned her, and she fell down face first to the ground.

The next thing she felt was cold metal against her neck. "Give?" She heard a harsh voice whispered behind her. She gave a quick nod, signifying her defeat. He took the sharpened blade away from her jugular, and removed his knee from her spine, allowing her to rise. They stared at each other solemnly. They were both about to sink into another crouch to begin another mock battle, when a voice was heard over the hill.

"Sakura! Kakashi-sensei!" It was Ino, running towards them at a slow jog. Once she had heard about Naruto, she had immediately dropped calling Sakura "forehead". The revelation that your life can be flipped upside down in a matter of seconds in the ninja world had changed her perspective on quite a few things.

Ino reached the gate that separated the training area from the path. A look of shock spread across her recently blank face. The grounds were in shambles; trees uprooted, craters littering the ground, and the stream looked like it was following a different path. The pair in front of her was far worse off though.

Sakura's hair was knotted and dirty, completely different from the usual style. Her eyes were wild; her normally pretty features were marred by a mask of pain. Her clothing was destroyed with rips and tears, when it was usually kept immaculate. Bruises, lacerations, and dirt coated her skin. Kakashi wasn't much better.

The only thing about him that looked like his usual self was his mask, which had somehow remained undamaged. The rest of his persona was not as lucky. The stuffing in his vest was puffing out; it would be absolutely useless soon. About the same amount of injuries clung to his skin as Sakura's. His one eye, since Kakashi had wanted to train without relying on his Sharingan, was not wild like Sakura's but brimming with sadness. All in all, both needed to stop this insane training.

"How long have you two been out here?" by just simply looking at the pair, Ino had completely forgotten the reason for coming to the field.

Sakura glanced at Kakashi; he did likewise. It ended up being Kakashi who spoke eventually.

"About a week," was his entire answer. He refused to say more on the subject. This was wasting valuable training time in his opinion, and he knew Sakura agreed. Finally Sakura spoke up.

"Ino, what do you need?" Her voice was opposite of her eyes. Her eyes blazed from the before battle, and that flame was dying. But her voice, her voice was completely buried. Nothing shone through the dullness of her monotone question.

Ino was shocked to hear her friend's voice so dead. It shocked her enough into remembering why she was there. "Um… Tsunade-sama wants to see you right away in her office. Something about a mission-" And before she could even finish her sentence, the two were off to the Hokage building.

-(.),(.)-

Tsunade's fingers were laced together, her chin resting on the woven appendages. She gazed at the two stoic shinobi standing at attention in front of her. Their somber faces looked at her, and she knew it was time. It could not be put off any longer. The remains of Team Seven needed this mission right away.

"I have decided that it's finally time for the rescue. We know somewhat of a time limit, though we don't if it is completely true, and we need to use that time wisely. We have a little under two months to complete this mission, and with the Akatsuki as the other players, that is a very, very small amount of time. So, I am giving you three days to gather supplies, three extra teammates, and make any plans you can make in that time. After that, everything must be collected during your journey. Here," She handed Kakashi a map, one more detailed than the one usually provided to shinobi for a mission. Hidden routes were clearly labeled; underground tunnels and secret passageways were drawn in. It was the kind of map that would be dangerous in enemy hands.

"This map will show you the quickest and safest way to arrive in Amegakure. The trickiest part will be infiltrating the village. Apparently, Pein has a way of knowing when new people enter the village. I have no clue what the village's policies are on importing and exporting. You might have a chance of sneaking in as merchants, but that would most likely lead to you having to leave all of your weapons behind. Not exactly a good idea, but it may be your only hope. Now, go find your other members. Come back here in three days at this exact time, and then you will be sent on your way," She looked the two in the eyes. What she saw startled her.

No longer were their orbs dead. No longer did they contain no life, no emotions. A fire burned in irises, alighting the oddly colored eyes with passion and desire to fulfill their purpose. She earned a quiet yes ma'am, from each, and they swiftly and soundlessly through the door.

Tsunade sighed. She knew that look. She knew that those two would die if it meant succeeding. But what they didn't seem to grasp was that the mission would be a failure if they did pass away. 

Naruto would never forgive himself -not them- if they were killed on this mission. He would be practically comatose; his body moving but his soul unfeeling. He would probably become the perfect ninja in the eyes of the council; but to everyone else who knew the boy, he would become deadweight. Almost literally, she thought bitterly to herself.

-(.),(.)-

Kakashi and Sakura had stopped at a nearby dango shop, ordering only a cup of tea each. They were talking animatedly; people who had seen them other the week looked at them strangely at the sudden attitude change. The map that Tsunade had given them was tucked safely away in Kakashi's ninja pack; that wasn't something that could be shown in public. They would have a meeting at night to discuss appropriate routes. First they need to talk about available teammates.

Some people were immediately stricken off; they would only slow them down or reduce the chance of success. Kakashi suggested bring Sai and Yamato along to help; Sai's paintings would help with stealth, and Yamato's Mokuton jutsus were good for cover and also powerful. Sakura agreed with him. That left one space open for the amount that Tsunade had allowed.

After much contemplating, suggestions and rejections, Sakura added that Neji would be a good choice for the team. Having the Byagukan on the team would be extremely beneficial; also, it was known that Neji was extremely close to Naruto, no matter how indifferent he acted.

So after the team decisions were made, the two set out to round up their choices. Kakashi went to look for Yamato, and Sakura left to find Neji. Whoever convinced their person would find Sai next.

After much searching, Kakashi finally found the ANBU man talking with a group of masked men and women. He was without his usual mask; he seemed to be training new members of a task force. As soon as Yamato noticed Kakashi out of his periphery, he dismissed the ANBU members and approached the older man.

"Kakashi-sempai, an interesting site to see you in ANBU grounds. I have a feeling I know what you're here to ask me. You want me to come with you to find Naruto, am I right?" Yamato appeared to be more in the know than Kakashi would have originally thought. He let out a small sigh of relief. He was glad that Tsunade realized it would be a good idea to tell Naruto's at one time commander what had happened to the poor boy. This would make things much easier.

"So, will you come? The mission will last about two months; maybe a little less depending on how fast we arrive. It won't be any longer than that though," Kakashi noticed the confusion in Yamato's eyes. He refused to say more though. It was too dangerous when it was possible for someone to pass by, over hear something, and become curious. That would only cause trouble.

Kakashi watched impatiently has his younger made his decision. He hid his anxiety, not wanting to scare him off. Then, he heard a small sigh escape his lips; he was done deciding.

"Well, I'm supposed to help with training the newest squads, but I have a feeling Hokage-sama will let me off of that. Of course I'm in. Anything for a teammate right?" Kakashi gave him one of his rare eye-smiles.

"Thanks Tenzou. Meet at Training Ground Seven tonight to discuss final plans. See you there," On that final note, he launched himself into the trees to find Sai. Yamato began to shake his head back and forth.

"It's Yamato, senpai," he then called back the team he was training to give them the news.

-(.),(.)-

Sakura approached the Hyuuga compound, growing more nervous by the second. She had had so much confidence when coming to the mansion; now that she was outside the actual building, it seemed much more formidable.

A guard stopped her at the gate, but upon hearing her name, allowed her in immediately. Being the Hokage's apprentice has its perks.

She wound her way through the labyrinth like hallways, searching for a sign of Neji Hyuuga. She passed few people, but no one seemed to know where he was.

Finally, after what seemed like a good half an hour of searching, Sakura heard sounds of fighting around the corner. She picked up her pace, eager to hopefully find her target. What she saw surprised her to an extreme. Neji Hyuuga, _the Neji Hyuuga, _was standing in the middle of one of the family training grounds. His Byakugan was activated; targets were being shot off from hidden areas and Neji was tracking them, trying to complete his range finally. He was panting slightly, obviously from the hours of practice. But the thing that shocked her was not obvious at first glance.

At first glance, Neji's face just appeared to be dirty and sweaty. But when you looked, two small tracks directly below his eyes were slightly cleaner than the rest of his face. The stoic Neji Hyuuga had been crying.

Sakura had a feeling she knew why. It's not every day the boy who changed your life is kidnapped.

"Neji-san," Sakura made her presence known stepping out of the shadow she hadn't known she was in.

"Sakura-san," He turned away from her. Obviously, he had already known she was there. Not surprising for the genius.

"Neji-san, I have a…request to ask of you. I know you already know about… about Naruto, and Tsunade-shishou has given Kakashi-sensei and I permission to bring along three teammates. And well, we would be so grateful if you would join us," Sakura held her breath and the end of her little monologue. Neji would be essential to this mission; not only was he an excellent ninja, but he cared for Naruto deeply as a friend.

He was silent for a few minutes. Sakura began to worry that he would decline, that he couldn't for some reason. The next few words shocked Sakura for the second time during her visit.

"Hai, Sakura-san, I will participate in this mission," He finally turned to face her. The look in his eyes was determined; he was delighted to finally be able to do something for his dear friend.

Sakura smiled and sighed with relief. One less person to ask. "Arigatou. Please come to Tsunade-shishou's office in three days, about an hour earlier than now. Again, arigatou. We will see you then," With that, Sakura left the training ground in a hurry, determined to find Sai.

-(.),(.)-

When Sakura approached the park that Sai was known to hang out in recently, Kakashi arrived at about the same exact time as she. They looked at each other with silent surprise. But, as they were prone to do nowadays, they needed no words.

The pair scoured the park, looking for their teammate. Not until they reached a small precipice that jutted out over a field did they find him.

After all the progress Sai had made with his emotions recently, it seemed that he receded back to square one. He was surrounded by charcoal drawings; swirling lines taking on a creepy effect. His eyes were focused on the current sheet of paper attached to his sketch pad: he was drawing the view from the cliff abstractly. With a keen eye, certain key details could be picked out. But they weren't there to admire Sai's artwork; they needed his help, and they were going to get it.

"Sai? Can we talk to you?" Sakura approached Sai quietly, with Kakashi trailing behind just slightly. Sai looked up at both of them, no emotions showing on his face at all.

"Yes?" This was going to be harder than they thought.

"Well… well, you obviously know about the situation about Naruto's… disappearance. Tsunade-shishou is finally letting us go on a mission to get him back. Will you come?" Sai, like Neji, did not turn at Sakura's request. He seemed to be in inner turmoil; it was nearly a minute before he spoke to them.

"I have no choice do I? We are comrades are we not?" He did not show the emotions the others had shown when they had been asked to join. His face was still blank, another mask.

Sakura gave a slight bow, thanked him, and then left with Kakashi. They walked side by side for a few minutes, not saying a word. Then Sakura let out what they had been waiting for for about a week. "We're ready Kakashi-sensei. We're getting Naruto back."

(.),(.)

Bwahaha, I'm evil I know. I should have written more. XD. I wasn't sure how far I wanted this chapter to go. So, for next chapter, I have about three different ideas. I can either go back to Naruto and see what's up with him, stay in Konoha with everyone, or do a combination of both. Not really sure which one… so I'm letting you guys choose! Choose either one of those when you leave a review (Not IF you leave a review, WHEN you leave a review.nudge nudge with a steak knife) One more thing, I finally learned how to do that line thing on Microsoft Word, would you guys prefer that or Mr. Owl? Till next time! Ja ne!


	7. Chapter 7

Holy crap, I'm actually updating! XD. Sorry for making you guys wait so long. School slowed my already slow updates. So, I'm going to stop ranting and get this thing done. And, away we go!

-(.),(.)-

Chapter 7: We Head Out Again

It was the third day. The group had spent the entire second day planning and strategizing, deciding which roles certain people should play. Now, the five of them stood at attention in front of Tsunade's desk, waiting for the final orders to commence this crucial mission. They stood like stones in front of their Hokage, waiting to finally be addressed.

Tsunade signed the last piece of paperwork that had been placed on her desk that morning. The stacks and piles would have to wait.

"Well, it seems you're ready. Kakashi, Sakura, I know I don't need to ask you this question. But Neji, Sai, Yamato, are you positive that you want to continue on with this? Remember, there is a strong possibility you won't return from this mission."

There wasn't even a pause. The three of them nodded curtly at her, signifying their allegiance to the mission.

"That's it then. Kakashi, you will lead this mission. Now, by rank, Neji or Yamato should be second-in-command, but Sakura knows more about Akatsuki than you, Neji, Yamato," the pair simply nodded and accepted the fact. Sakura had challenged Akatsuki far more than them.

"Kakashi, take this," Kakashi walked sharply towards the desk, grasped a slip of paper Tsunade was holding, and walked back to his position in the line-up. The sheet held strange symbols with translations next to each one.

"Memorize this, then burn it. Scatter the ashes, in case anyone has invented a jutsu to repair burnt items. I want a mission report sent in this code every week. If no report is sent on the corresponding day, I will send a team out to retrieve. Do _not_ make me send a team out that doesn't need to leave Kakashi."

He nodded. Tsunade sighed heavily. It was time for this team to embark on this mission. "You four will leave tomorrow at daybreak. No training today; I want you all rested for tomorrow," she eyed Kakashi and Sakura carefully. The duo fidgeted slightly under her sharp gaze. They had planned to train well past nightfall, rest for a few hours, then rise and leave for the mission. They would have to find a more secluded training ground if they wanted to continue their regimen.

"And to make sure you aren't training, I'm sending a guard to keep watch for today," Tsunade smiled smugly. She watched Kakashi's and Sakura's faces fall slightly, while Neji, Sai, and Yamato looked slightly relieved. Apparently, they had had a taste of the Team Seven's idea of "training".

"Shizune, would you care to escort them until tomorrow?" Tsunade grinned deviously. Like hell these two were going to accomplish whatever they had in mind.

"Of course Tsunade-sama," Shizune grinned at the team, that oddly demonic smile that would force any obnoxious patient back into bed.

A shudder ran down everyone's spine. That smile was creepy.

"You may discuss your plans, nothing else. I will see you at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Dismissed." Tsunade nodded at the team, who bowed slightly in return and headed out the door. Shizune followed behind them quickly.

They waltzed through the streets of Konoha, attempting to avoid Shizune if possible. Unfortunately, she seemed to be able to sense them no matter they went.

Glances were exchanged, secret codes they had planned and programmed into their minds. The next second, the four of them disappeared in four different directions.

Shizune blinked and stared at the spot where the team had been standing only seconds before. She had not expected them to split up, since they had not used any code she had seen before. Damn, they must have invented a new system for this mission. Tsunade-sama wasn't going to be happy if she didn't find them soon.

-(.),(.)-

Sakura's kept her mind blank, feeling only the strain of her muscles as they pushed against the rough bark of each tree she leaped to. She reveled in the motion, in the push and pull of the muscle on the bone. It felt as if she was flying; nothing could distract her as she soared.

She was disappointed that her voyage had ended so soon. As stated by the signals they used before disappearing, she arrived at Hokage Mountain just as the others arrived. They sat down in a pow-wow circle, and Kakashi pulled out the map that Tsunade had given him. Little notes were scribbled all over the sheet of paper now. Little anecdotes were written in, detailing areas that could become detours if need be.

Kakashi pointed to several areas, describing each one with detail and giving different people different positions at certain checkpoints. Here, Neji would be in back for lookout. There, make sure Sakura is in the middle, in case of an ambush.

After an hour discussing last minute plans for tomorrow, Kakashi rose and stretched. The team followed suit. "Follow me," Kakashi tilted his head toward the eastern forest of Konoha. The team sprinted away.

-(.),(.)-

Bang. Crash. Clang.

In the dense forests of Konoha, Kakashi's team fought fiercely against each other to train for the challenges ahead of them. It was every man, or woman, for themselves, and it took all of their self-control for it not to turn into a death match.

Bodies whistled through the air, sailing from branch to branch. Kunai knives and shuriken were flung at various body parts to puncture and impale.

The team landed on a grouping of branches, facing each other. Everyone was panting heavily, cuts and bruises layering their skins. Neji and Kakashi had decided to train with their bloodlines, to challenge the others. No longer were looks of depression on anyone's face. Now, they had been replaced with expressions of hope and determination. On an invisible signal, everyone crouched again to begin the battle.

"KAKASHI!"

Oh crap. There was hell to pay now.

-(.),(.)-

The next morning at dawn, a group of seven people stood statue like at the opening gate of Konoha. Five of them carried heavy packs, standing just outside the ominous doors of the village. The other two were standing on the inside of the gates, as though there was a barrier keeping them apart.

"Well, you should be off. You'll need as much time as possible for this mission. Good luck, and return home," Tsunade was trying to stay strong. It was hard, watching this group of people who were so close to her leave on a mission that they might not return from.

"Don't worry Tsunade-shishou. We'll back in no time." Sakura nodded towards her former instructor.

Tsunade smiled sadly. "Of course you will be."

"Well, we're off then. Ja nee!" Kakashi began the trek out of the village's territory. Without looking back, the team followed him hastily.

"Be safe."

They were on their own now.

-(.),(.)-

Before he had felt cold. Now, he felt pain. But oddly enough, he was happy to feel this pain. It meant he was alive.

Naruto's once bright blue oceanic eyes had become dull and glassy, losing that mischievous glint. His body was starting to become lanky, as his muscles were starting to become weak from no exercise. He gazed at his wrists, which had become raw from the constant strain against the sharp metal. He smiled slightly. He looked on at the tiny red tears that the breaks in his skin were crying. He was glad to see that was bleeding. It meant his blood was actually flowing, that he wasn't just rotting in this cave.

He closed his eyes once more, attempting to feel the life force he had known since he was young. But alas, it was still gone. He glared at the cuffs encircling his wrists and ankles. After many hours pondering, Naruto deduced that those strange markings were seals, suppressing all of his chakra.

He couldn't even contact that damn fox.

His ears picked up a large crash coming from the far end of the dungeon. He heard two footsteps, approaching his cell. He growled low and feral at the two figures standing directly outside his cell.

The two people he currently hated with all of his heart were standing happily in front of his cage. He once again growled; a feral attempt to make the evil pair leave.

But they did not move, just smiled smugly at him and his dilemma. Kira was carrying a covered tray, while Hiro only stood with his arms crossed over his chest. Hiro's grin was wider than Kira's; it was almost arrogant, while hers was more prideful, as though she was a cat and she had caught that annoying mouse.

Naruto glared at them slightly, not able to summon enough strength to turn up the heat. It was more like a withered stare, listless and dull.

"What do you want, usuratonkachi?" Naruto asked flatly.

"Aw, is that anyway to speak to the only people who come to say hi to you? And we even brought you some food," He reached over to the covered tray to show some sashimi, as well as well as a steaming bowl of ramen. Naruto attempted not to drool. They did this last week too. The two of them brought delicious food that made his palate tingle with desire. Then they would set the food down in front of him, force it down his throat, and torture him with statements about his home village.

Following the same procedure as last time, Hiro unlocked the steel door to Naruto's cell, while Kira waltzed in. Hiro locked the door behind him, and then turned back to Naruto, still smirking. Kira kneeled down by Naruto's head, taking a pair of chopsticks from inside her cloak. She chose a piece of the sliced fish, and held it in front of his mouth. Naruto shoved his lips together, which only made Kira's grin widened. She pulled some sort of tool out of her cloak, and used it to force his mouth open. She then placed more and more delicious food in his mouth, until he had no choice to swallow.

All the while, Hiro sat beside the crown of his head. He spoke loud enough that Naruto and Kira could hear him, but soft enough that his voice wouldn't travel to the other captivities.

"So Naruto," and so it began. "We just received the reports from the spies in Konoha. They haven't sent a recon team. In fact, they haven't even sent out a search team to check out our little battlefield for clues. But they have had quite a few celebrations in the past week. All for the same reason. That you aren't there anymore. Your… ahem, teammates, seem to have been in the center of these little parties. Bragging about how they rid Konoha of that stupid demon."

Naruto refused to choke on his food. He attempted to block out the painful feelings that flowed through his veins. He kept telling himself that it wasn't true, that they were on their way right now to save him. But was the village really that far from here? Naruto wasn't sure. He had been unconscious when they had abducted him and dumped him in this cell chained to a wall.

For about ten minutes more, Hiro continued his tales as Kira shoved food down his esophagus. By the time the food was all gone, it was taking all of Naruto's self control to not cry in front of these cretins. The hurt crashed down like a tidal wave, repeating itself over and over.

"Well Naruto, we'll be back tomorrow to check up on you. Sorry, but it will be back to normal gruel tomorrow. Guess you'll just have to deal or something," Hiro smirked once again as he locked the door to Naruto's cell.

Once he heard the footsteps fade and the door slam, the tears parted from his eyes. He let the blissful sleep pull him under hoping to find some comfort in a place where anything can happen.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

_Naruto , five years old, ran crying through the streets of the poorer areas of Konoha. The streets were filled with trash and grime. He weaved his malnourished body through piles of garbage cans and the waste itself. He heard the rumble of the heavy footsteps fall with patterned thuds as they chased him through the alley. Blood dripped heavily as it travelled its way down towards his eye. Bruises as scrapes laced his arm to form intricate patterns of nothing. Why was this happening? The young child thought as he ran for dear life. He had just been sitting in the park, hoping to receive an invitation from one of the children in his age group to come and join a game. None ever came though. Then, when a drunken man –Naruto smelled the alcohol on his breath- noticed him alone in the park watching the last people leave the premises, he accused the tiny tot of being a stalker and plotting to harm the others. He eventually gathered enough people during the chase to harm the little one that had darted like a fox being hunted by a hunting dog._

New dreams plagued his mind as well. He wasn't sure, but the new dreams seemed a cross between reality and the truth.

"_Sakura-chan!" The petit girl turned at the slight supersonic shriek produced from her teammate's vocal chords._

"_Yes?" She was annoyed and he should have known that. She had studied all day, Tsunade working her to the bone in between missions._

"_Guess what today is!" Naruto was so excited. It was his first birthday in Konoha in about three years, and he wanted to at least celebrate with his team. He hoped they remembered. He had only been reminding them every day of the week._

_Sakura thought about it for less than a minute, then shrugged and stated, "Who knows?" Then walked away briskly, leaving Naruto's heart to rip just a bit more._

Naruto's physical shell was lashing out once more, but instead of just the usual thrashing and flailing, his spine arched just slightly irregularly, and his face blurred almost indistinctly.

He felt as if he was dying, as thought cyanide had been laced within the food. The liquid fire ran a race through every one of his muscles as the convulsions and spasms continued.

_I'm dying…_ Naruto considered his words. _Is it worth it?_

(.),(.)

Well, even though its midnight and I have school tomorrow, I'm posting this chapter because I might forget otherwise. Have fun, Oyasumi nasai, to Jaa nee! (translation: Good night, and see ya later!)


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